Times Square Does Not Shine
by jazzsquare85
Summary: The gang has moved on with their lives years after high school. Ryan loses touch with almost everyone and falls into a downward spiral. Can Ryan survive on his own, or will he pursue the help of his friends? Read and review! --Mild drug use.
1. Chapter 1

The entire gang had not been together in the same room since the day they graduated high school. Most had lost touch with one another, and the ones that were still in contact rarely spoke. There had been no quarrels or words said between each other, but generally that is what happens as time goes on and people become busy with their own lives. Almost six years had gone by since they graduated and Chad and Taylor were happily married with a three year old daughter and one on the way. They had married right of high school and moved out to Wyoming for school. They decided that they would settle down there after Taylor had landed a job through her internship and they figured it would not be that difficult for Chad to obtain a teaching position at one of the local schools.

Troy attended the University of New Mexico and Gabriella ended up going to Texas A&M. They stayed together throughout college, despite the distance, and decided to wed shortly after. They held their wedding at Lava Springs, courtesy of Sharpay and Ryan's family. Most of the Wildcats had been in attendance; however, some regretfully, could not come. Distance, for many of them, had become the reason for their lack of communication. Although, they had sent their regards. After the wedding, they had moved to Florida where Gabriella had been working part time with National Aeronautics and Space Administration while doing some of her own research on the side; Troy took a job coaching a local high school basketball team and working at a local children's recreational center. They were happy and had discussed starting a family of their own sometime in the future, but it just never seemed like an appropriate time.

Sharpay took a more unorthodox approach to her future. Unorthodox, but suitable. She had moved out to Los Angeles the first chance she got. After about five years struggling as an unknown actress she decided to cut her losses and move back home. She was a great actress and a phenomenal singer, but she was a bad case of the 'big-fish-little-pond' syndrome. She had won a few smaller roles and even made it onto a couple of episodes of Days of Our Lives but that was the extent of her claim to fame. She moved back to Albuquerque just before Troy and Gabriella tied the knot. It was good to see the gang together again, or at least most of them. That's where she reconnected with Zeke. One look at him and feelings immediately rushed back to her. Senior year, Zeke and Sharpay had been quite the item, but before she left they had broken up, both deciding that the distance would not have been fair to either of them. Zeke attended a local culinary school with an emphasis in the pastry arts, never having the intention of leaving his hometown. After the wedding, they started talking again and it was like they were never away from each other. Zeke was trying to get his own bakery opened up, and by all means he was good enough to do so, but he didn't have much knowledge of running his own business. Sharpay had more than her fair share of experience in that area what with her family's country club and all. She helped him, and before long 'Zeke's Bakes and Cakes' was up and running. They were once again "quite the item".

Jason attended Duke University. Kelsi and Martha had roomed together in college. both attending the University of North Carolina. They figured that would be a good idea considering they were going to be on complete opposite sides of the country, and neither of them knew much of anyone out there. Unfortunately, this decision didn't really work out in the end. Jason had cheated on Kelsi with Martha, resulting in a feud between the three of them. Jason and Martha claimed to be in love with one another, leaving Kelsi both heart broken and betrayed by one of her best friends. Luckily for Martha, Kelsi had decided to drop out after her third semester. She thought that she would have better luck striking out on her own, rather than sitting in a classroom and wasting her time and money. She was right, during her time at college she had spent more time writing plays and composing music than actually learning anything that remotely interested her. She had enough material to create an entire portfolio. She moved out to Los Angeles after she dropped out. She met up with Sharpay and actually lived with her for the remainder of the time Sharpay lived in L.A. She had helped hook Kelsi up with some big names out there and even let her sublet her apartment after she moved back home. The last anyone had heard, Martha and Jason were still somewhere in North Carolina. They were still together, but pretty much kept to themselves.

One wildcat that they had not heard from was Ryan Evans. The only one that talked to him at all was Sharpay and that was generally only at family functions and when she could tell he was in serious trouble --the twin thing. Ryan had moved out to New York City after failing to get into any of the colleges he had applied to senior year. Ryan was spectacular in the arts department but when it came to books, it really wasn't his thing. He didn't make the grades so he decided to strike out on his own too. Sharpay went west and in an attempt of doing something different from his sister for a change, he went east. He got a small apartment by himself on the Upper East side. He tried some off-Broadway productions and got involved in some independent works, but none of it really amounted to much. As the years went by, he distanced himself further and further from his friends and, surprisingly, his family as well.

Ryan was always easily influenced and he kind of got mixed in with the wrong crowd. He met some people in his improv work sessions and he knew they were different, but at the time he didn't think much of it because, let's face it, a lot of actors are more than eccentric. He had been in NY for almost three years and he had made some 'friends' through his work groups and some parts that he had landed, but no real substantial relationships were formed. Ryan took what he could get though, it could become really lonely in New York all by yourself.

One day he found himself running from place to place and he was left utterly exhausted by the end of the day. This had been going on for weeks now, and it had gotten to the point where he didn't think he could manage the same hours and continue his daily routine. He had arrived at his improv session and his buddy Chaz came up to him with a cup of coffee in hand, "You look like shit, man, here."

"Thanks," he said he a slight grin. "I know, I haven't had a lot of time to sleep lately. I've been so busy, but I really feel like my break is right around the corner so there's no way i can slow down now," he wearily explained.

"Yeah, I hear ya on that one and let me be the first to tell you that it doesn't get any easier," he said while walking away. Ryan watched him and thought to himself, '_Yeah I didn't think so..._'

Annie, another one of Ryan's friends came running into the room. She was an attractive girl with a petite figure. She was a dancer and she was thinner than she rightfully should have been, but then again, in that business, who wasn't. She was always rushing around and a little too high strung for Ryan's taste but nonetheless they were good friends. Or at least as good as it gets in a cut-throat city like New York. "Hey Ry! You look tired!" she exclaimed. She looked equally as tired as him, but was still all over the place. "Ill be right back," she told him, and she was out of the room as quickly as had she come in.

Ryan looked after her dumbfounded,'_Did that just happen?_' Sure enough, she reemerged adorned in street clothes, rather than her ballet outfit she had previously been wearing. Annie was in a modernized version of The Swan Princess and had just come from rehearsal. She was born and raised in New Jersey, just across the river so she was pretty used to the bustle of the city. She was a few years older than Ryan, and she knew he was just as naive as he looked, so she kind of looked out for him. Annie reminded Ryan somewhat of Sharpay; they didn't really look much alike but their personalities were almost a spot on match. She was the closest thing he had to a best friend. He had just finished the last bit of coffee Chaz had handed to him when she came running up to him again, "Come on, Ryan! We're gonna be late," she belted out. She had a voice like no other. She was loud, and always made sure she was noticed.

With a heavy sigh he got up and reluctantly followed, "Coming." How she had the energy, he would never know. He heard the director, "Annette, Charles, Ryan, Charlotte report to the stage. We'll be running scene 2 for right now. Go on my cue, and action!" Even though it was an improv group they still worked with certain scenes and minimal scripts they had to go off of. Three grueling hours later, Ryan heard the director say that they were done for the night. He was so relieved to hear those words, he had noticed that during one of the scenes they were doing Annie kept dozing off slightly. It was a comfort to know that he wasn't the only one struggling; it was just after midnight and he was beat. The only thing he could think about was his bed that he was only minutes away from. Some people were standing in a small group talking after the session had ended and Ryan was gathering some of things together when he heard Chaz say, "Hey Ry, some of us are hitting up this party in a few if you want to join."

He thought about it for about a second; he really wanted to start hanging out with people and making actual friends, but it was just so hard with the schedule he'd been keeping. "I have to be at the set at five tomorrow, otherwise I would. Next time though, I promise." He really didn't think that he was awake enough to actually have a good time and be social so it kind of worked out that he had to get up early. Sincerely he said, "Thanks anyway, like i said, next time."

"Alright, man, but I'm holding you to that," Chaz said with a disappointed tone. Annie walked out of the restroom and asked Chaz if he was ready to go. Ryan had figured she was going to go to the party, but he was still surprised having seen how worn out she was earlier. She seemed to have perked up quite a bit from when he had last seen her, but didn't really question it. They said their goodbyes and Ryan headed home to his empty apartment. '_Maybe I should just get a dog,_' he thought.


	2. Chapter 2

The next few days flew by for Ryan, and he was just as busy as before. It was time for another one of his improv group sessions, and like always Chaz was standing outside, cigarette in hand. Ryan cautiously walked up to him because he knew what was coming. "Hey Ryan, were hitting up another party tonight, and you're coming this time," he told him. Before he could respond or even attempt to get out of the unavoidable plans for the evening he continued, "You promised, remember?" Damn. If it was one thing Ryan didn't do, it was break a promise.

He cursed himself under his breath with the poor choice of words he used last time the had spoken and said, "Yeah, I'll be there. Where are we going?" Before Chaz could enlighten him of the location of the party, he was interrupted by the hurricane blowing through that was also known as the lovable Annie. As per usual, she was in a hurry rushing around trying to get her life together, struggling with that bag of hers. Her life was in that bag, and at the moment it was everywhere, clothes flying every which way.

"Hey Guys! Where are we headed tonight?! I'll be right back," she exclaimed all in one breath as she rushed inside.

"I don't know how she does it...", Ryan said as they headed back into the building. Chaz just shook his head, put out his cigarette and follow him in. The two of them had been looking over what they were going to be practicing that night when Annie came out of the restroom from changing from her previous rehearsal.

"Well that feels a lot better. So what's going on this evening, gentlemen? Are we going to get ridiculous tonight or what?" she said in a more than chipper mood. Ryan knew that Annie loved to have a good time, and he really hoped that he could keep up tonight. Usually, she never scheduled anything before noon so she was able to go out whenever she wanted; however, Ryan went all day, usually everyday with auditions and rehearsals with a part-time job on the side. He didn't have much of a social life outside of work. Luckily, Ryan didn't have anything for tomorrow besides catching up on some errands he'd been putting off.

"Well, I don't know, I was thinking hit up Jake's or maybe Char's. She said she was having some people over, but she said she wasn't positive", he continued, "Maybe even go to Brooklin and hit up the bars. I heard there's a wicked party going down somewhere in Soho. Whatever's good with me..." Ryan was completely lost, but tried not to let on that he had no idea what they were talking about. He was going go out for a couple hours and go home, and hopefully, have a good time in the process.

There was obvious excitement in Annie's eyes. Not only was she excited about the possiblities that the night had to offer, but she was overjoyed that Ryan was actually going with them. She knew that he was over worked and under paid and basically just needed to let off some steam. This was the perfect way of doing so. "Awesome, at least we have some options. We'll discuss this after rehearsal. Come on guys", she said while walking to the stage.

To Ryan's surprize practice seemed to fly by and before he knew it he was walking down some street in Soho heading to a party of someone he had never met before. He felt pretty uncomfortable and Annie could tell. She tried to make him relax by saying, "Ryan, aren't you pumped?! We haven't been out together since New Years!" It was March, but Ryan had had his fill up until then. What a night that had been; he was hungover for two days after. He was hoping this wouldn't turn into another one of those nights.

"Yeah, I know. I'm so excited", he said in a slightly sarcastic, unconvincing tone.

"Come on, Ry, this is the 'city that never sleeps'! We're gonna have a good time tonight, I promise. Just try to lighten up a bit", she pronounced with such cheer in her voice.

As they entered the large apartment, Ryan was surprize to see how big it really was, and he was even more surprized with the even larger woman that occupied the apartment. Chaz introduced them, "Marge this is the friend I was telling you about. Ryan, this is 'big' Marge. Annie and I are trying to show him a good time tonight."

Marge looked Ryan up and down, "A little smaller than I would have figured, but its very nice to meet you." They shook hands and she continued, "Margrey Anne Plancher, at your service. Help yourselves to anything in the house; don't be shy." Margery was not what Ryan had expected either, of course, he really hadn't expected anything. He was too busy trying to come up with a last minute excuss. All that improv training and he had nothing. He was very disappointed in himself, but he thought maybe it was for the best. 'Be social.'

She was a kind soul, but you could tell she had lived a full life. She looked older than she probably was, and loved to drink. Probably the reason she looked slightly haggard. "Get this boy a drink!" she exclaimed. She had a bit of a faded southern twang, so he assumed she wasn't a New Yorker, born and raised, either. Ryan akwardly chuckled at her enthusiasm, but nonetheless followed Annie and Chaz into her apartment.

Ryan was already exhausted when they arrived at the party from the long day he had had. Ryan got a part-time job working on the set of this major motion picture the were filming in Manhattan. He wasn't in the movie, just helping out on set to pay the bills. He figured maybe they would sense some potential in the aspiring actor and cast him in an upcoming film. It was a long shot, but he was hopeful. Anyway, this part-time position had him getting up at un-Godly hours, which was one of the reasons he was so tired all the time.

More than a few drinks later, Ryan was feeling a buzz, and he was even more tired than before. He didn't think he was going to be able to last too much longer, and they had not even been out very long. He didn't want to admit it until he noticed Annie's eyes were getting a little heavy as well. He approached her and said, "Hey, whenever you want to head out, just let me know and I can walk you home."

She smiled and said, "Thanks, but you're not getting off that easy. I'll be right back." She finshed her beer and said, "Grab me another one, will ya?" She headed to the restroom and disappeared for quite some time.

Ryan headed to the cooler and grabbed one for Annie and one for himself. While she was gone, Chaz caught Ryan's weary gaze. He had totally zoned out. Chaz went up to him and asked, "Having fun?"

"Yeah, its just been a long day, a really long day", he said with a sort of laugh. He was finally starting to have a good time and relax, but nonetheless he was exhausted.

Chaz could tell Ryan was getting a little more than tipsy, and he was pleased to see his friend having a good time. By the time Annie had returned, her beer was on the verge of getting warm, but she drank it anyway. "Thanks", she said in a chipper voice. Again, where did this reserved spunk come from? The thought left his mind as quickly as it had entered. He just smiled with a 'you're welcome' nod.

The party continued, everyone was mingling with each other and having, from what it seemed, a pretty good time. Ryan kept an eye on Annie; it must have seemed like she had about eight winds that night because everytime he would catch her eye, she looked so tired and then he would watch her go to the restroom. By the time she came back she was ready to party again. This confused him, but by this time he was too far gone to really care. He was starting to get tired again, really tired.

He walked up to Chaz to try to get an estimated leaving time. He must have really looked beat because of the look Chaz gave him. He started, "Hey man, good time, eh?"

Ryan replied, "Yeah, its great. When are you guys thinking of heading out?"

Chaz gave him a look quizzical look, "Pretty tired, aren't you?"

"Yeah, actually, I kind of am. So I'm totally really to leave whenever you guys are. No rush or anything" he said. He didn't want to seem too eager even though he was.

"Here", Chaz said as he casually slided him a pill. He continued, "Take this. It will make you feel a lot better, I promise."

Ryan took the pill with some caution, but he figured he trusted Chaz. He had no reason not to; he assumed he wouldn't do him wrong. After about a half an hour, Ryan started to feel very energetic, almost alert, even. It was a feeling he hadn't had in a long time, energy. He felt his heart begin to race, and he couldn't seem to sit still. He tried to hold conversations with people but his attempts were fruitless; his mind was everywhere. Finally, he came across Annie. She could tell that he was acting differently and then she noticed his sudden burst of vigor. She looked over at Chaz who had a sheepish look on his face. She went over to him and said in a harsh whisper, "What did you give him?"

"Just a little something to keep him going" he said nonchalantly.

"I can't believe you! Do you realize that he probably has no idea what's going on right now?!" She was fuming. Ryan was like a little brother to her, and she had totally let this slip by her.

"Relax, I only gave him one. He'll be fine; we'll take him home in a couple hours. I guarantee tomorrow he doesn't even remember a thing. He was pretty far gone" he stated as if it was nothing.

Annie was not happy with Chaz at the moment. In fact, she was royally pissed off, "you better hope he doesn't." And with that, she walked away, staying close to Ryan's side for the rest of the evening.

It wasn't until the wee hours of the morning that they had left the party and Ryan got into his bed. 'What a night', he thought to himself. The last thing that went through his mind before blackness took hold of his drooping eyelids was 'I don't know what Chaz gave me tonight, but I liked it.' And then darkness. 


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, or the next day, rather, Ryan had awoken suddenly. It was dark outside and he had no orientaion whatsoever. No clue of the time, or even the day it was. 'Never again will I go out with those two on one of their crazy weekend excursions', he thought to himself. He had slept through the entire day, and night had once again fallen on the city of New York. _'So much for getting those errands done.'_ He got up and searched for his phone to check the time. He had two text messages and three voicemails. _"Wow, and I didn't hear any of that. I must have really been out"_, he mumbled to himself in a hoarse voice. One of the advantages of sleeping all day after a long night of drinking is that you basically sleep though the hangover. --Major plus.

1st text message --**Annie**: hey ryan thanx for comin out 2nite. i had a great time! call me tm when u get up nite

_'Hmmm... must have sent that after we got home?'_

1st voicemail --**Sharpay**: Hey Ry! Its your adorable older sister calling to say hello. Just got back from the bakery and let me just tell you its been a big hit! Zeke is _SO_ excited with the success of the shop. Anyway, I haven't talked to you in ages, it seems so _CALL ME BACK_! Gotta run, toodles. And Ryan? Times square can't shine as bright as you. muah!

_'Let's see she called... six hours ago. Great, lemme guess...'_

2nd text message --**Sharpay**: hey ry, you ok? havent heard back from you...

_'Hah called it... worries too much.'_

2nd voicemail--**callback**: Hello Mr. Evans, I'm calling to inform you that you have a callback for the Bye Bye Birdie performance. Your callback time is set for 2:30pm Monday, March 28. Same location in Sullivan Hall. Have a good day and we hope to see you there.

_'YES!'_, he mentally screamed. He knew that he nailed that audition and he really wanted that part. He had been practicing for it for weeks, and now he had a callback. He was really keeping his fingers crossed on this one. It could be his break onto an actual Broadway production.

3rd voicemail --**Annie**: Yo Ryan, I haven't heard from you since last night, and I just wanted to see if you were ok. We had a pretty crazy time last night. Haha you can really roll with the big dogs... Umm anyway, call me back whenever you get this. K BYEE!

Before he could even think to call Sharpay or Annie back, his sister was beeping in through his voicemail. He reluctantly answered it, knowing that he was going to get an earful, "Hello?"

"Ryan! Thank _God_! I thought you got mugged or something. Anyway, why haven't you returned any of my messages?! I was worried sick!", she was mad, but it was a loving mad, and he knew it.

"Sorry, I've been a little busy", he lied.

"Busy? Busy?! Too busy to send me a text message back saying, '_Don't worry, Shar, I'm still alive_' but noooo I have to sit and worry all day long that the worst has happened to you! Its not like you're in one of the most dangerous cities in the world or anything", still fuming.

"Hmm.. well I'm alright", he blew it off, knowing that she was just overreacting. "So what's up? I haven't talked to you in a while", he said.

"Not much, just trying to help out as best i can with the business and home and stuff. Zeke has really out-done himself. Everyone in town is raving out the bakery, and he couldn't be more excited. He's spending more time there than with me", ending with a pout.

"Well that's great! Good for Zeke, his dream has finally become a reality" he sighed slightly at the thought of it.

Sharpay could tell what he was thinking, twin instinct, "Your time will come really soon, Ry. I can feel it!"

"I hope so"  
"I know so"

Trying to change the subject, not wanting to go into further detail on that concept, she tried to think of something to lighten the mood. She knew how hard of a business it was out there, and she knew that even people with the amount of talent Ryan had never made it big. It was a game of chance, and very few make it out a winner. "So I talked to Chad and Taylor", that being the first thing that came to mind.

"Oh yeah? And how are they?", he asked, more for the polite effect rather than interest.

"They're doing fabulous, as always. Little Erica is almost four now, and Taylor is about six months pregnant. Haha she said she feels like she's about three weeks overdue. That must be horrible", she thought outloud, mostly to herself. "They said after the baby's born they're coming home for a few weeks. What with Taylor on maternity leave and Chad with no school, it works out perfectly. You should really try to make it into town, Ry. I bet mom and dad would love to see you" she stated with concern. Their father had not been well lately, and Sharpay wanted him to be there with him. Deep down she needed him too.

"Yeah, I'll see what I have going on when the time comes. How is dad by th- call waiting: Annie Hey Shar, can you hold on?"

"Sure" click

"Hello?"

"Ryan! Where have you been? I sent you a message and left a voicemail, I didn't hear back and got worried", she said in a hurry.

"I just got up about an hour ago then my sister called me, which by the way, she's still on the other line. Can you hold on", before she could answer, he switched lines.

"Hey Shar, this is an important call. I'll call you tomorrow and we can talk more", again he was kind of lying. The call wasn't that important, but all the talk of babies and reunions was wearing him out.

"Alright, but you had better call me! Love you, Ry. Be careful out there", she lovingly said.

"Love you too, Shar, and don't worry, I will", he said with a slight smile and a roll of the eyes.

"Oh and Ryan?"

"Yeah, Shar?"

"Just remember to keep your chin up... times square can't shine as bright as you."

"Thanks. Night, I'll talk to you tomorrow", he hated it when she said that. He felt so inadequate when she did, even though she was only trying to say the he is the brightest star in her eyes. Regardless of the meaning, it killed him inside, even though he knew she meant well. In that brief heart felt moment he had forgotten he had Annie on the other line. The phone beeped in once again. _'Shit.'_

"Forgot about me, didn't you?"

"How could I forget about you?" he said in a patronizing tone. "My sister just always has really long goodbyes; she really worries too much about me", trying to cover his own ass. "So yeah, I must have been really out of it when you called before because I didn't hear my phone ring at all."

After he said that she felt a small pinch of guilt, but let it go. "Yeah its alright, just checking to see if you had a good time last night and how you were feeling today", there was definite concern in her voice which strangely made him feel good, but still there was no need for worry.

"Feeling alright, a little foggy but whatever. I think I slept through most of the hangover; I was pretty excited about that" he said with a smile on his face and a hint of a chuckle.

"Thats great. Well, I gotta get going, but I'll see you in group next week. Glad it wasn't a repeeat of New Year's. Later, Ry", and before he could say goodbye, she was gone.

It really amazed him how quick she was with stuff like that. I guess that what kept him intrigued. What he really didn't understand was why everyone worried about him so much; he was a big boy and could take care of himself. 'If only, everyone else realized that.' He looked at the time and it dawned on him that he had to be at work in four hours. He was still pretty tired, so he just decided to go back to bed. Before he drifted into slumber he thought back through the events of the night, _'Those pills must have been vitamins or something. Maybe Chazz has some more of those, its gonna be a long week.'_

Annie had been worried about Ryan all day. She knew that the hardest drug he had ever taken was Tylenol; she wasn't sure how he would react to what Chaz had given him. He seemed to take it surprizingly well, but she still didn't want him getting in the habit of popping pills. After she had talked to him, she felt a lot better; however, that guilt still sort of lingered over her head. She tried to forget it, but just couldn't. The more she thought about it, the more sillier it seemed. she laughed it off and thought, _'He's a tough kid. One night of fun won't kill him.'_


	4. Chapter 4

The week had been dragging out as much as possible, just as Ryan had thought it would. He went to his call back and it turned out that he had won the role of Conrad Birdie, and Ryan was ecstatic. They had begun rehearsals the following day, and it was beginning to take a tole on Ryan and his energy level. By the time he made it to his improv session, there was definite sign of fatigue in Ryan's eyes.

He got there earlier than usual, looking for Chaz. Chaz always seemed to be the first one there. Ryan was convinced that it was to practice his "improv" beforehand. To Ryan, this was silly. He thought improv -- improvisation: to be made up on the spot. But whatever does it for you, I guess. Nevertheless, when Ryan arrived at the old building, Chaz was there.

'First things first', Ryan thought. He approached Chaz, "Hey, what are you doing here so early?"

"Oh nothing, just had some time to kill, I guess."

He knew that was a lie. Ryan was always running himself ragged, and any extra minute of free time was spent looking over his lines, but he went along with it and they continued their banter, "Cool, so you have fun the other night?"

"Yeah, as a matter of fact I did. Thanks again for dragging me out. By the way I've been meaning to ask you about those vitamins you gave me."

"Vitamins?", he said with a curious look on his face. Chaz honestly had no clue what the kid was talking about. And then it hit him.

"You know, those vitamins you gave me after we got th-"

He was cut off, "Oh yeahhh. Now I know what you're talking about. What about them?", he asked sheepishly, thinking Ryan was going to ream him out for what he did. Oh shit, he knows.

"Yeah, well, I was wondering if you had any more. I'd be willing to pay you for them, of course."

This, truly shocked him. "Umm yeah, I have some. But those weren't vitamins..."

At that moment, the whirlwind herself appeared and their conversation came to an abrupt halt. "Hey guys! Ryan, good to see you're alive and well... Back in a flash.", and to the restroom she went.

chaz looked at Ryan and simply said, "Come to my apartment tomorrow at noon... we have much to discuss"

The next day Ryan arrived at Chaz's apartment promptly at noon. He pressed the call button and made his way up the seven story flight of stair to Chaz's hole in the wall. It was a small studio apartment. For a struggling actor in New York City, it was all he could afford, and to Chaz, this was home. He reached his destination and noticed the door was slightly ajar. Assuming that was a welcome sign, he let himself in.

Chaz was sitting on his couch in a white tee and gym shorts. Ryan figured he must have just woken up, considering his attire. "Have a seat.", he said nodding to the chair adjacent to the couch. "So Ry, before you get involved in what you're about to purchase, I just want you to know what you're getting into."

Ryan didn't say anything, he just let him continue. "Like I said yesterday, those weren't vitamins. It was a speed tablet." Chaz wanted to be as blunt as possible, because he knew that if he tried to beat around the bush, the conversation wouldn't have gotten far.

Ryan didn't quite know how to take in this information. Sure he'd heard of it, but to think that he, Ryan Evans, was doing drugs. It was unthinkable.

He remained silent as Chaz continued, "I know, I know. You're thinking what have I done?! BUT before you freak out, think about it. It really wasn't that bad, was it? You didn't die. It made you feel reallly good, and it even gave you that pick me up that I know you've been looking for."

It was true; everything coming out of his mouth was a true statement. Chaz kept talking about it, talking it up as if it was something great. Ryan had to admit, this was what he was looking for. Something to keep him going from audition to audition.

By the time Ryan was ready to leave, he was stocked up with enough to keep him rolling for a while. As he turned to head out on his way, Chaz called to him, "Maybe next time we go out, you can try something new. There's all different kinds of way to have fun out there, Ry."

Ryan gave a nervous chuckle, "Yeah, see ya next week. And thanks again." And with that he was gone. As he walked back home, he thought to himself, 'Maybe this is why Annie's always so perky. She and Chaz hang around each other a lot. Makes sense. Hmm... well, if she does it then it can't be too bad. 


	5. Chapter 5

Weeks had past and Ryan was going on a noticeable downhill slope. His career was at an all time high, and he was convinced that the drugs were the reason for his success. Ryan had lost a noticeable amount of weight, but he didn't seem to mind. In his opinion, he looked and felt better than he ever did, but that was only when he was on some altering substance. The moment he came down from his high, he felt very different and after a while it seemed he did not know how to handle it which just led to more drug use.

Ryan had gotten the part he wanted in Bye Bye Birdie. Rehearsals had started, and although he no longer had anymore auditions to go to, but he still had his part-time job and the improv group that he couldn't let down. He seemed to be going out a lot more often with Chaz and Annie; he felt that if he had the energy why not? Being out till all hours of the night put a major strain on his body and there were days when he would crash. He would lie in bed with little movement for literally the entire day, then get back up and spring back into action. At times he didn't think he would be able to keep this up but somehow his feet kept him moving.

Ryan was going through one of his "full days" meaning he went from his part-time help position working from 4-11am setting up and painting set, whatever needed done. Then he would go to rehearsal from 12 to 8 and finally end up at improv somewhere around 9 to whenever they felt they had a good grasp on things.

He was running late from rehearsals, which was very 'un' Ryan-like. Chaz and Annie were both talking about how uncharacteristic that was of him. Once rehearsals started, even the director started to worry until the door flew open and Annie's normal position had been reassumed by none other than Ryan himself.

"Sorry! Sorry I'm late!" he exclaimed as he ran through the double doors to the theatre.

He continued, "Rehearsals ran late so I ended up missing the bus so I had to run here all the way from 9th Street, but I'm here now and I again I am so sorry!"

He was trying to catch his breath, partly from being out of breath from running and partly from utter exhaustion from his extracurricular activities he had been undergoing in the past weeks.

"That's fine, that's fine," the director said.

"Just pull yourself together and join us on stage, we're just finishing up the second set," he continued regaining his focus on the other cast members.

Annie and Chaz exchanged glances before continuing the scene. Ryan made it on stage, and the moment he reached the destination his friends looked on with ghastly expressions. His paled skin tone was not something that went ignored, but seeing as the director had already been irritated by Ryan's tardiness no one felt it absolutely necessary to mention anything.

"Ok Annette, we're going to start with you, then Charles you follow with Ryan finishing up the vignette," he directed, "and go."

"Sam, darling, I can't believe you don't believe me it was an innocent kiss, it meant nothing. I promise, you know I love you baby, only you," she began what was supposed to be a melodramatic scene involving her and two male suitors, both of which are vying for her love.

Chaz was not as good as Annie and Ryan at improv but that's why they work together as a group, to improve their skills. He tried to begin, "You know it was more than an innocent kiss! I saw you two and you enjoyed every second of it you whore!"

On a normal day, Ryan would be right in there with a witty tort, or a smarmy remark. Today was not like any other day, he took one look at Chaz and "Don't you dare call her a whore! She's—" With that his eyes roll in the back of his head and he collapsed to the floor succumbing to the darkness that awaited him.

"Ryan, oh my God!" Annie ran over to his side while Chaz ran to get a glass of water to revive him. By the time Chaz had returned Ryan was awake and semi-oriented. He fainted from dehydration and lack of sleep. After all the interruptions from the day the director decided to just call it a night.

"Are you alright?" Annie asked with a serious expression on her face.

"Yeah I think I'm alright", he said in an almost inaudible voice.

Chaz helped Ryan to his feet and they gathered their belongings in silence. Annie and Chaz both agreed that it would be a good idea if they walked Ryan home. He reluctantly agreed. Most of the walk was silent until Annie just could not take it anymore.

"Feeling any better, Ry?"

"Yeah I don't know what happened, I guess I just didn't eat much today."

By the looks of things it seemed as if Ryan hadn't eaten in weeks. She thought to herself, '_I wonder when the last time he had a good meal was_.'

"Yeah you gotta carb up like me, man. When it comes down to it, I bet I eat a total of four meals a day", Chaz stated proudly.

Annie and Ryan looked at him incredulously, but with no remark.

"What? I'm a growing boy!" In his defense, Chaz was a larger man, larger than Ryan was at least so it can be assumed that he probably wasn't kidding.

"Anyway, boys we're all off on Sunday and I am cordially inviting you two over to dine with me in the most lavish of establishments… _chateau de Annette._ Come over for dinner around seven? Ok great! I'm glad it's settled!" she rambled off before they had time to refuse. Annie knew that Ryan wasn't eating and she was really starting to worry about him, after all he was like a little brother to him.

Annie had not yet been enlightened of Ryan extra curriculars, but she had a good idea who might know.

They were approaching Ryan's apartment, and he was very glad of it. Ryan was exhausted from the day he had especially after his little episode at group. "Thanks guys, like I said you really didn't have to walk me home. I think I just need a good night's sleep, that's all."

"Definitely not a problem, my friend. We know you'd do the same for us," Chaz said with a reassuring tone.

Annie chirped in, "Yeah Ry, it's definitely not a problem. Now Chaz is gonna walk me home, isn't that right?"

He looked at her and nodded in unenthusiastic agreement.

"Good. Now Ry you get to bed and we'll see you on Sunday. Night buddy!" Annie called as her and Chaz walked away.

By the time he had gotten into his apartment, he could feel a drastic change in his demeanor. He reached the bed and fell into a light sleep until he was awoken by the vibrations of his phone and the soft melody of "Hey there, Delilah". It was his sister. He hadn't talked to Sharpay in almost two weeks and for them, that was pushing a record. He looked at the caller I.D. and groaned. He halted the vibrations, tossed his phone on the nightstand and thought to himself before drifting into a much deeper slumber, '_I'll call her back tomorrow_.'

As Chaz walked Annie home, she couldn't help but want to interrogate the hell out of him. She knew that whatever Ryan was on he got from him. The only question she had was why? She felt partly responsible. She knew it all came down to that one night they had gone out together.

Annie was never one to beat around the bush, so she came right out with it and asked, "What kind of drugs is Ryan on?"

Caught a little off guard, Chaz did not know how to respond, "What are you talking about?"

He knew exactly what she meant, and she knew how she would react if she had known the truth. It was in his best interest to keep this on the down low.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about."

Her words were harsh and they blew through him like a cold winter's air. Her glare was no match for Chaz timid nature, and he folded under the massive tension she was building.

"Alright, alright. A couple months ago, after we went out that one night. I think it was sometime after St. Patty's. Anyway, he came to me and asked me if he could buy some vitamins from me. How bout that? He thought that 'X' was a vitamin haha… ahem"

Annie did not find humor in that and when Chaz realized this he continued.

"So, like the good friend that I am, I enlightened him to the fact that those were not vitamins."

"And?! He must have freaked out! Oh man I knew I should have never trusted you with him at the party."

"Hey! First of all, he was a little surprised, but he didn't seem to mind. And secondly, I am perfectly trustworthy. I wanted to show him a good time and I did just that."

"So then what…" she prodded.

"So then what, what?" he asked sheepishly.

"Did you by any chance indulge his desires?"

"Well…" She didn't need to hear anymore. Her assumptions were correct.

"Are you serious? I can't believe you! You know how naive Ryan is! I doubt he understands what he's getting into and you're just feeding the problem."

They had made their way to Annie's apartment, and by this time she was fuming. "He doesn't have a problem, and he's a big boy, hunny. He can take care of himself."

Disregarding his last comment mainly because she knew she would fly off the handle if she didn't just let it roll off her shoulders she said, "If things don't change, I'm going to say something." She stepped on the stoop and he went to follow.

"Not tonight, I'm still not very happy with you. I'll see you tomorrow." She kissed his cheek and walked inside leaving Chaz frustrated out in the chilled spring air of New York City.


End file.
